exercise in the morning?

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Virgiree21
Virgiree21 Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Should you exercise in the morning? Arnt you burning calories you havent even eaten yet? I might have 200- 300 calories for breakfast but I do my 30-50 minute jog on my trampoline. I burn about 500. So I basicly just burned my whole breakfast And then some. Also should I drink whey protein after my jog?

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  • gerla_k
    gerla_k Posts: 495 Member
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    I heard that it's better to exercise in the morning -. I personally workout after work, just because i can't wake up so early when it's so dark outside :blushing: :blushing:
    I used to drink orange juice or peanut butter sandwich right before my workouts in the morning , and i do HIIT exercises so i really need to eat some not to faint :):bigsmile: And then have my breakfast .
  • Honeycat89
    Honeycat89 Posts: 149
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    I sometimes get up at ridiculous o clock before work to do a work out. I try and eat a banana before or something. I found that when I worked out in the morning I was just starving all day and ate way more!
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    It's best to work out when you'll actually do it. If you're a morning person, workout in the morning. If you're not and you use it as an excuse to skip the workout, find a better time that will work for you. I'm a morning person, and so I lift in the mornings, but I have down time after I get out of work and before my bf gets off from work, so I do cardio in the afternoons. Find something that fits your schedule.

    And you don't have to drink whey protein after your workout or even at all if you don't want to. Just make sure you're getting adequate protein levels (MFP defaults are usually pretty low for most people). I aim for 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass.
  • kanstulpants
    kanstulpants Posts: 20 Member
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    I hate getting up early so I almost always do my workouts at night.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    It's best to work out when you'll actually do it.
    Yep.

    As for "burning calories you haven't eaten yet" - your body is burning calories constantly, even while you're sleeping. You don't have to eat before a workout, or worry about just burning off what you eat (in fact just aiming to burn what you eat shouldn't be a goal, if that's how you're looking at it :tongue: ).

    A lot of people confuse the idea of eating less than you burn, thinking we need to eat less than we burn through exercise rather than eat less than what we burn in a 24 hour period - sleeping, walking, household chores, jobs, shopping, etc. Not sure if that's how you were looking at it, but just wanted to be sure. :smile:

    Anyway - if you want to work out early and need to eat a little something beforehand, go for it. If it doesn't upset your stomach and you get a good workout, great. If you want to workout in a fasted state and have no trouble with the workout on a empty stomach, also great! Have breakfast when you're done. Do whatever works best for you.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
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    It's best to work out when you'll actually do it.
    Yep.

    As for "burning calories you haven't eaten yet" - your body is burning calories constantly, even while you're sleeping. You don't have to eat before a workout, or worry about just burning off what you eat (in fact just aiming to burn what you eat shouldn't be a goal, if that's how you're looking at it :tongue: ).

    A lot of people confuse the idea of eating less than you burn, thinking we need to eat less than we burn through exercise rather than eat less than what we burn in a 24 hour period - sleeping, walking, household chores, jobs, shopping, etc. Not sure if that's how you were looking at it, but just wanted to be sure. :smile:

    Anyway - if you want to work out early and need to eat a little something beforehand, go for it. If it doesn't upset your stomach and you get a good workout, great. If you want to workout in a fasted state and have no trouble with the workout on a empty stomach, also great! Have breakfast when you're done. Do whatever works best for you.

    This ^^^^ Nailed it.

    I work out in the morning because it works for me. After work I just can't find the motivation. However, early AM workouts set me up for a positive day. I also eat healthier because I did that workout in the AM.

    I will sometimes eat a banana before I go to the gym but usually just grab a water and go. I then try and eat a healthy high protein breakfast when I get back home.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
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    I eat 1 slice of raisin toast with promise light spread first thing at 545AM. I am downstairs working out at 630. I vary my routine between JM DVD's, Fitness Blender, and treadmill. As soon as it is safe (no ice) to run outdoors I will be back out there. My first 5K for the season is next Saturday. About 930 I have plain Greek yogurt, berries and a handful of Special K cereal on top. Yum Yum. I eat 5 meals daily almost always staying under calories. Every day is a challenge but, that is what keeps me strong.
  • nomad1000
    nomad1000 Posts: 206 Member
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    Even though I hate mornings, I am findig that if I get in a short cardo workout (20-30 minutes) before work, I am less likely to overeat during the day. Not sure if it is somehow related but I get hungry later and feel full longer. Then when I do some exercise in the PM, I seem to sleep better so I try to get 2 sessions in a day as much as I can.

    The number of cals I burn is a bonus, not the whole reason I exercise, because I know that MFP has set my daily goal based on sedentary and I will lose whether I work out or not.
  • jessmena07
    jessmena07 Posts: 2
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    I just started working out before work, I work 12 hour days 3 days a week and a 4 hour day one day. Those long days there is little to no inspiration to go to the gym after work, the short day I like to go for a walk or run outside. The hardest part is preparing yourself, I lay everything out the night before and pack the gym bag with the next days clothes, makes it less of a struggle to get there in the morning. I found that by day 5 it was routine and nice to have it out of the way!

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